Last month, we released the first episode in our new podcast series, ‘Understanding longevity’. This first episode - ‘Why does life expectancy matter?’ - acts as an introduction to the topic, with Hymans’ longevity consultants Andy Muddle and Megan Hart joined by guest speaker David Sinclair, Director at the International Longevity Centre (ILC). The ILC is the UK’s specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society, so David is well-placed to help us explore the topic for this episode.

In this article, we outline some of the key areas that are discussed on the podcast:

Impact of longevity on society

Longevity relates to how long we expect people to live for and, looking back at historical data, life expectancy has increased dramatically. As a result, and combined with lower birth rates, we are now living in an ageing society and this comes with a number of challenges. For example, David highlights implications for our economy and that we will need to think about how we keep ourselves “healthier for longer”. We will also need to consider the care that we might need in our later lives, especially as “most of us actually underestimate how long we are going to live”. In addition, there is an important role for the financial services industry, to ensure current products adequately support individuals throughout their lives. This is particularly important if we can’t just rely on working longer to support ourselves, for example because of deteriorating health in older age.

Variation in life expectancy

Although life expectancy has increased overall, it is important to understand that there is “a lot of variation in average life expectancy within our society”. Where we live and how we live will contribute to this variation. For example, David highlights “the Glasgow effect”, where a difference of just a few miles in Glasgow can map to a difference of 5-10 years in life expectancy. A key question is what needs to be done to narrow these inequalities. David suggested that, although education is a starting point, individuals may need to be compelled (e.g. through regulation) in order for the situation to change.  

Future drivers of life expectancy

Following the exceptional year we have just lived through, we can all appreciate the challenges of predicting the future. However, David discussed a variety of factors that could have a significant bearing on life expectancy going forwards, even though some of the benefits of the “low hanging fruit” (i.e. interventions that contributed to past improvements in life expectancy, such as the treatment of heart disease) have been realised. Aspects such as further medical improvements, vegetarianism and government bans (e.g. “a UK without tobacco by 2030”) could help extend life expectancy. On the other hand, the convenience provided by technology, resulting in more sedentary lifestyles, and the impact of COVID-19 and antibiotic resistance could drive life expectancy down. 

If you’d like to learn more you can listen to the podcast below or access it here. We hope you enjoy it and find it an informative and insightful resource. If you have any feedback or suggestions of future longevity-related topics, please do let us know.  

If you’d like to understand more about the ILC and the research they conduct, you can find more information on their website.

Listen to our first podcast below: